If I were a betting man — and seeing as how I'm leaving for Vegas in about a week, I suppose I am — I'd expect a solid showing from South Iredell's "money sports" next season.
There's always plenty of turnover in the high school coaching ranks, but it has to be rare for a school to break in a brand new football, boys basketball, girls basketball and baseball coach in the same season.
Ed Masterton (football), Trey Ramsey (baseball), Brian Reese (boys hoops) and Gary W. Sherrill (girls hoops) were not only first-year coaches at South, it was their first-ever head coaching job in their respective sports.
It's going to take time for the athletes to get adjusted and, maybe even more so, it takes time for the coaches to get completely settled and comfortable with what they want to do in the program.
Masterton did a respectable job this year, leading a team that battled injuries all season back into the playoffs.
The other programs struggled, sometimes mightily. The boys basketball team finished with four wins, the girls basketball team won twice and the baseball squad had five victories.
All of those win totals should increase next season, and I wouldn't be surprised to see all four of those squads advance to the state playoffs.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Spring sports season ends
Not a lot of updates recently as several county schools - in several different sports - kept advancing in the playoffs, leaving us pretty busy. But now that Mooresville baseball, Lake Norman tennis and Lake Norman soccer have been bounced from the playoffs, things have slowed. Here's a few observations on some of the area sports.
Mooresville baseball
In case you didn't catch this story, the Blue Devils were bounced from the 3A playoffs in the most heartbreaking of ways. Leading East Rowan, winners of 21 straight entering the game, by four runs entering the final frame, the Mustangs bolted out of the gate - my one obvious horse reference - and scored five times without registering an out.
It's tough to see any team end its season that way, but this was especially true considering how perfect Mooresville had played up to that point. Senior pitcher Aubrey Meadows, on the mound despite a tired arm, danced his way around an incredibly dangerous lineup for six weeks. Meadows was perfect through three innings and allowed six base runners the next three innings.
Matt Markofski again hit a big home run, and Dylan West's three-run bomb in the sixth inning appeared like it would seal the victory.
I think it's also important to note that Mooresville skipper Jeff Burchett coached a great game. There was one brilliant call he made that I never would have considered.
It was the fourth inning, the score 0-0 and East had a runner on second with two outs. A very fast runner. Clean-up batter Corbin Shive forced a 3-1 count. Burchett called for an intentional walk and the next batter grounded out on the first pitch. Just a great thinking-man's decision. On a 3-1 count, you have to throw a strike. Typically, it's a fastball. Rather than pitching a fastball for strike to an clean-up batter waiting to launch it out of the park , Mooresville took its chances with the next guy.
I also don't buy the notion Burchett left Meadows in too long. Meadows is the ace, senior leader and was a big reason why the Blue Devils even advanced that far in the playoffs. He wanted the ball, and he wanted to finish the seventh inning. You leave him in.
Mooresville has some key seniors to replace, namely Meadows, West, Markofski and Chris Beaver. But the Blue Devils have a lot of underclassmen who contributed on varsity this year along with the best JV program in the North Piedmont 3A. They could be back in the regional semifinals next season.
Lake Norman soccer
I'll admit that, before the 3A soccer playoffs started, I wasn't a believer in Lake Norman. In the two games I covered this year, I came away with the impression that this was a talented team, but not an elite one.
Wrong.
The Wildcats advanced to the regional finals - essentially the Final Four of the 3A soccer bracket - before losing 2-1 to T.C. Roberson, the No. 1 ranked team in the country.
I stand corrected.
Mooresville track
I think Mooresville's streak of winning state titles in the running sports will stretch to five next year. The Blue Devils won a state title in outdoor track (spring, 2007), cross country (fall, 2007), indoor track (winter, 2008) and outdoor track (spring, 2008).
But after a potential cross country title, which would be three in a row, I'm not sure. Mooresville's program has such incredible depth, but it will be a challenge to replace the talent they have graduating, particularly in the field events.
Mooresville baseball
In case you didn't catch this story, the Blue Devils were bounced from the 3A playoffs in the most heartbreaking of ways. Leading East Rowan, winners of 21 straight entering the game, by four runs entering the final frame, the Mustangs bolted out of the gate - my one obvious horse reference - and scored five times without registering an out.
It's tough to see any team end its season that way, but this was especially true considering how perfect Mooresville had played up to that point. Senior pitcher Aubrey Meadows, on the mound despite a tired arm, danced his way around an incredibly dangerous lineup for six weeks. Meadows was perfect through three innings and allowed six base runners the next three innings.
Matt Markofski again hit a big home run, and Dylan West's three-run bomb in the sixth inning appeared like it would seal the victory.
I think it's also important to note that Mooresville skipper Jeff Burchett coached a great game. There was one brilliant call he made that I never would have considered.
It was the fourth inning, the score 0-0 and East had a runner on second with two outs. A very fast runner. Clean-up batter Corbin Shive forced a 3-1 count. Burchett called for an intentional walk and the next batter grounded out on the first pitch. Just a great thinking-man's decision. On a 3-1 count, you have to throw a strike. Typically, it's a fastball. Rather than pitching a fastball for strike to an clean-up batter waiting to launch it out of the park , Mooresville took its chances with the next guy.
I also don't buy the notion Burchett left Meadows in too long. Meadows is the ace, senior leader and was a big reason why the Blue Devils even advanced that far in the playoffs. He wanted the ball, and he wanted to finish the seventh inning. You leave him in.
Mooresville has some key seniors to replace, namely Meadows, West, Markofski and Chris Beaver. But the Blue Devils have a lot of underclassmen who contributed on varsity this year along with the best JV program in the North Piedmont 3A. They could be back in the regional semifinals next season.
Lake Norman soccer
I'll admit that, before the 3A soccer playoffs started, I wasn't a believer in Lake Norman. In the two games I covered this year, I came away with the impression that this was a talented team, but not an elite one.
Wrong.
The Wildcats advanced to the regional finals - essentially the Final Four of the 3A soccer bracket - before losing 2-1 to T.C. Roberson, the No. 1 ranked team in the country.
I stand corrected.
Mooresville track
I think Mooresville's streak of winning state titles in the running sports will stretch to five next year. The Blue Devils won a state title in outdoor track (spring, 2007), cross country (fall, 2007), indoor track (winter, 2008) and outdoor track (spring, 2008).
But after a potential cross country title, which would be three in a row, I'm not sure. Mooresville's program has such incredible depth, but it will be a challenge to replace the talent they have graduating, particularly in the field events.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Mooresville/West Rowan observations
In case you missed it, Mooresville won an absolutely insane game against West Rowan Tuesday in the state baseball playoffs.
It was probably the best game I've attended this season. And if not the best, the most exciting.
Due to a variety of issues - game starting late, game ending late, computer problems and early deadline - I didn't have very much time to write my game story for the paper.
Here are a few more thoughts on that game:
Mooresville senior Matt Markofski had an absolutely monster night. He finished 2-for-3 with a whopping 5 RBI. His biggest hit of the night was also the most controversial. Markofski ripped a 3-2 hanging curveball over the left field fence in the first inning for a three-run homer that gave Mooresville a 5-0 lead.
Or did he? The ball was sailing toward the foul pole, and the home plate umpire ruled it fair. West Rowan's coaching staff and players vehemently protested the call, but it stood. I had a terrible angle for that home run and couldn't tell you what I think happened. The home-plate umpire had a tough call to make, too. Markofski belted the ball, and it was more of a line-drive home run than a towering blast. The sun produced a heavy glare at home plate, and I'm not sure the umpire got a clean look.
The Blue Devils started Chris Beaver on the mound, which was no surprise. The senior was expected to get the start, and he was electric for two innings. Beaver tossed 26 pitches - 17 for strikes - in the first two innings and struck out four. He lost his control in the third inning, though. I'm not sure what effect, if any, this play had, but it warrants mentioning. Beaver gave chase to a little pop-up that landed in foul territory near the Mooresville dugout. With a small chance at catching it, Beaver - who is about 6-foot-4, 235 pounds - dove with full extension and bellyflopped to the ground. It was a great hustle play, but he started missing his location after that. Beaver worked his way through a 30-pitch third inning and gave up two runs, but was pulled after one batter in the fourth inning.
Also give credit to Aubrey Meadows, who pitched 2 2-3 innings of relief on three-days rest. Meadows had just one mistake pitch, and Carlos Bautista launched it for a three-run homer. But Meadows kept his focus and struck out five of the final 10 batters he faced and picked up the win.
It was probably the best game I've attended this season. And if not the best, the most exciting.
Due to a variety of issues - game starting late, game ending late, computer problems and early deadline - I didn't have very much time to write my game story for the paper.
Here are a few more thoughts on that game:
Mooresville senior Matt Markofski had an absolutely monster night. He finished 2-for-3 with a whopping 5 RBI. His biggest hit of the night was also the most controversial. Markofski ripped a 3-2 hanging curveball over the left field fence in the first inning for a three-run homer that gave Mooresville a 5-0 lead.
Or did he? The ball was sailing toward the foul pole, and the home plate umpire ruled it fair. West Rowan's coaching staff and players vehemently protested the call, but it stood. I had a terrible angle for that home run and couldn't tell you what I think happened. The home-plate umpire had a tough call to make, too. Markofski belted the ball, and it was more of a line-drive home run than a towering blast. The sun produced a heavy glare at home plate, and I'm not sure the umpire got a clean look.
The Blue Devils started Chris Beaver on the mound, which was no surprise. The senior was expected to get the start, and he was electric for two innings. Beaver tossed 26 pitches - 17 for strikes - in the first two innings and struck out four. He lost his control in the third inning, though. I'm not sure what effect, if any, this play had, but it warrants mentioning. Beaver gave chase to a little pop-up that landed in foul territory near the Mooresville dugout. With a small chance at catching it, Beaver - who is about 6-foot-4, 235 pounds - dove with full extension and bellyflopped to the ground. It was a great hustle play, but he started missing his location after that. Beaver worked his way through a 30-pitch third inning and gave up two runs, but was pulled after one batter in the fourth inning.
Also give credit to Aubrey Meadows, who pitched 2 2-3 innings of relief on three-days rest. Meadows had just one mistake pitch, and Carlos Bautista launched it for a three-run homer. But Meadows kept his focus and struck out five of the final 10 batters he faced and picked up the win.
Monday, May 12, 2008
NCHSAA must change playoff brackets
There are a lot of things the North Carolina High School Athletic Association does right. The NCHSAA is an efficient organization that, in part, provides newspapers with plenty of information on high school athletics throughout the year, so it's difficult to be too critical.
But one thing it has done terribly wrong lies in the pre-made 3A playoff brackets, specifically the matchups in the Western Regional for members of the North Piedmont 3A.
The NPC stretched from a seven-school league to one with 10 schools in the last two years. Brand-new institution Carson became a member in 2006-07, and East Rowan and South Rowan dropped from the 4A ranks into the NPC this past season.
As the new "half plus one" rule goes, the NPC received six automatic playoff berths for baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, softball and volleyball (half of the 10-team league is five, plus one is six).
Of those six teams, only the top seed gets a home game in the first round. Every other seed goes on the road.
The playoff brackets for the aforementioned seven sports are the same across the board. Each team that qualifies for the playoffs simply fills in a slot on brackets released weeks in advance. For example, the Piedmont Triad Conference's No. 1 team always hosts the Mid-Piedmont's No. 4 team in the first round; the Big South Conference's No. 2 team always hosts the Mountain Athletic Conference's No. 3 team.
Of the nine conferences that boast 3A teams and therefore have a No. 2 seed in the Western Regional, a whopping seven host a first-round game. Of those seven, five host a No. 3 seed.
The only two leagues that must send a No. 2 seed on the road to play another No. 2 seed are the NPC and Southwestern Conference. The Southwestern Conference is typically regarded as one of the weakest across the board and has only four schools.
Of the six different teams seeded No. 3 from their respective conference, four get a slightly easier draw and play a No. 2 seed while two play a No. 1 seed. Again, the NPC's third-seeded team gets a top-seeded, tougher opponent on the road.
The NCHSAA adopted the "half plus one" rule to add more teams to the playoffs - which is more money that lines the state association's collective pockets - but isn't giving teams from the NPC a fair shake. Iredell County schools should not bear the brunt of adding two new teams by a faulty set of playoff brackets.
Starting next season, the NPC's No. 2 seed should host a first-round game and the NPC's No. 3 seed should draw a No. 2 seed in the first round.
But one thing it has done terribly wrong lies in the pre-made 3A playoff brackets, specifically the matchups in the Western Regional for members of the North Piedmont 3A.
The NPC stretched from a seven-school league to one with 10 schools in the last two years. Brand-new institution Carson became a member in 2006-07, and East Rowan and South Rowan dropped from the 4A ranks into the NPC this past season.
As the new "half plus one" rule goes, the NPC received six automatic playoff berths for baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, softball and volleyball (half of the 10-team league is five, plus one is six).
Of those six teams, only the top seed gets a home game in the first round. Every other seed goes on the road.
The playoff brackets for the aforementioned seven sports are the same across the board. Each team that qualifies for the playoffs simply fills in a slot on brackets released weeks in advance. For example, the Piedmont Triad Conference's No. 1 team always hosts the Mid-Piedmont's No. 4 team in the first round; the Big South Conference's No. 2 team always hosts the Mountain Athletic Conference's No. 3 team.
Of the nine conferences that boast 3A teams and therefore have a No. 2 seed in the Western Regional, a whopping seven host a first-round game. Of those seven, five host a No. 3 seed.
The only two leagues that must send a No. 2 seed on the road to play another No. 2 seed are the NPC and Southwestern Conference. The Southwestern Conference is typically regarded as one of the weakest across the board and has only four schools.
Of the six different teams seeded No. 3 from their respective conference, four get a slightly easier draw and play a No. 2 seed while two play a No. 1 seed. Again, the NPC's third-seeded team gets a top-seeded, tougher opponent on the road.
The NCHSAA adopted the "half plus one" rule to add more teams to the playoffs - which is more money that lines the state association's collective pockets - but isn't giving teams from the NPC a fair shake. Iredell County schools should not bear the brunt of adding two new teams by a faulty set of playoff brackets.
Starting next season, the NPC's No. 2 seed should host a first-round game and the NPC's No. 3 seed should draw a No. 2 seed in the first round.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
South Iredell's first inning
Here is what South Iredell's first inning looked like during Tuesday's softball game against Bessemer City.
1. Kasey Kerley slap single
2. Laci Graney single (Kerley moves to second)
3. Devan Poff fly out to left field (Kerley tags up to third)
Graney steals second
4. Kathleen Pasquarella reaches first on a fielder's choice (Kerley scores, Graney moves to third)
Laci Graney scores on wild pitch, Pasquarella advances to second
5. Amber Graney single (Pasquarella scores)
6. Kayla Kerley single (Amber Graney to second)
7. Kelsey Spangler walk (Kayla Kerley to second, A. Graney to third)
8. Kayla Jones triple to right field (A. Graney, Kayla Kerley, Spangler score)
9. Kendall Honeycutt single to left field (Jones scores)
Honeycutt advances to second on wild pitch
10. Kasey Kerley slap single to center (Honeycutt to third)
11. Laci Graney to first on fielder's choice (Honeycutt out at the plate, Kerley to second)
12. Devan Poff single to center (Kerley scores, Graney to second)
13. Kathleen Pasquarella reaches second on error (Laci Graney, Poff score)
14. Amber Graney flies out to left field
I've never seen a team, in baseball or softball, send 14 batters to the plate in one inning. So many of those hits were on the first pitch, too.
The Vikings as a team found themselves in an unusual zone, and they made the most of it. If they do the same during the playoffs, they'll be an incredibly tough out.
1. Kasey Kerley slap single
2. Laci Graney single (Kerley moves to second)
3. Devan Poff fly out to left field (Kerley tags up to third)
Graney steals second
4. Kathleen Pasquarella reaches first on a fielder's choice (Kerley scores, Graney moves to third)
Laci Graney scores on wild pitch, Pasquarella advances to second
5. Amber Graney single (Pasquarella scores)
6. Kayla Kerley single (Amber Graney to second)
7. Kelsey Spangler walk (Kayla Kerley to second, A. Graney to third)
8. Kayla Jones triple to right field (A. Graney, Kayla Kerley, Spangler score)
9. Kendall Honeycutt single to left field (Jones scores)
Honeycutt advances to second on wild pitch
10. Kasey Kerley slap single to center (Honeycutt to third)
11. Laci Graney to first on fielder's choice (Honeycutt out at the plate, Kerley to second)
12. Devan Poff single to center (Kerley scores, Graney to second)
13. Kathleen Pasquarella reaches second on error (Laci Graney, Poff score)
14. Amber Graney flies out to left field
I've never seen a team, in baseball or softball, send 14 batters to the plate in one inning. So many of those hits were on the first pitch, too.
The Vikings as a team found themselves in an unusual zone, and they made the most of it. If they do the same during the playoffs, they'll be an incredibly tough out.
Monday, May 5, 2008
NBA playoffs intriguing ... so far
There were a lot of NBA fans and beat writers who freaked out during last year's NBA playoffs. Several writers and bloggers — most notably ESPN's John Hollinger, a stats geek (in a good way) — proposed several changes to the NBA playoffs.
My favorite one was to keep the same seeds per conference, but create one big 16-team bracket.
There hasn't been as much outcry this year, mainly because the Celtics tore through the regular season, Orlando developed into a legitimate No. 3 team and Cleveland still has that LeBron fellow.
When I did a simulated, what-if bracket last season, six of the eight teams to advance into the second round were from the West. With the East a bit stronger — and just for fun — let's take a look at what this year's playoffs would have looked like using the 16-team bracket projection, which was incredibly popular last season.
Imagine this as one giant bracket:
(1W) Los Angeles
(8E) Atlanta
(4E) Cleveland
(5W) Utah
(3W) San Antonio
(6E) Toronto
(2E) Detroit
(7W) Dallas
(1E) Boston
(8W) Denver
(4W) Houston
(5E) Washington
(3E) Orlando
(6W) Phoenix
(2W) New Orleans
(7E) Philadelphia
We again get a few fascinating first-round matchups, including Phoenix-Orlando, Cleveland-Utah and Detroit-Dallas. A quick projection give us a probable second round of Los Angeles-Utah, San Antonio-Detroit, Boston-Houston, Phoenix-New Orleans and a potential semifinals of Los Angeles-San Antonio, Boston-New Orleans.
There are still some crying for some sort of playoff change, and there are some interesting scenarios in certain new formats, but I think the NBA right now is better than it has been in many, many years.
The talent level is incredible, the historic rivalries are returning in some form and the influx of young, capable players and innovative coaches make for some great up-and-down basketball. I think this year's playoffs will serve as a sign of increased competition in the future.
My favorite one was to keep the same seeds per conference, but create one big 16-team bracket.
There hasn't been as much outcry this year, mainly because the Celtics tore through the regular season, Orlando developed into a legitimate No. 3 team and Cleveland still has that LeBron fellow.
When I did a simulated, what-if bracket last season, six of the eight teams to advance into the second round were from the West. With the East a bit stronger — and just for fun — let's take a look at what this year's playoffs would have looked like using the 16-team bracket projection, which was incredibly popular last season.
Imagine this as one giant bracket:
(1W) Los Angeles
(8E) Atlanta
(4E) Cleveland
(5W) Utah
(3W) San Antonio
(6E) Toronto
(2E) Detroit
(7W) Dallas
(1E) Boston
(8W) Denver
(4W) Houston
(5E) Washington
(3E) Orlando
(6W) Phoenix
(2W) New Orleans
(7E) Philadelphia
We again get a few fascinating first-round matchups, including Phoenix-Orlando, Cleveland-Utah and Detroit-Dallas. A quick projection give us a probable second round of Los Angeles-Utah, San Antonio-Detroit, Boston-Houston, Phoenix-New Orleans and a potential semifinals of Los Angeles-San Antonio, Boston-New Orleans.
There are still some crying for some sort of playoff change, and there are some interesting scenarios in certain new formats, but I think the NBA right now is better than it has been in many, many years.
The talent level is incredible, the historic rivalries are returning in some form and the influx of young, capable players and innovative coaches make for some great up-and-down basketball. I think this year's playoffs will serve as a sign of increased competition in the future.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Realignment goes through
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association officially approved its new conference realignment, which will begin in 2009 and last through 2013. It was an expected move, but allows county teams to know for certain where they will end up for the next few years.
Here's a breakdown of the new conferences for Iredell schools (with attendance figures to the right) and a few thoughts on all three.
2A
Bandys 989
Bunker Hill 886
Draughn ----
East Burke 950
Maiden 824
Newton-Conover 771
South Iredell 991
West Caldwell 1,011
Thoughts: Rather than doing most of its traveling to Lincoln County, the Vikings will now be dispersed to the Hickory area on road trips. One of the first things that pops out to me is wrestling. South, with a great wrestling program, will get huge tests from Bandys and Newton-Conover, two state powers. Football will also be better, as will basketball, especially over at West Caldwell where Danny Anderson has the Warriors humming. Draughn has no attendance figures because it will not open until next season. Overall, this is a very tough, mostly balanced conference.
3A
Carson 1,078
East Rowan 1,246
North Iredell 1,248
South Rowan 1,103
Statesville 1,149
West Iredell 1,052
West Rowan 1,217
Thoughts: The former North Piedmont 3A will condense from 10 to seven schools, with Lake Norman, Mooresville and Northwest Cabarrus - the three largest schools - leaving. This should give the three Iredell teams more breathing room in scheduling non-conference games for all sports. West Rowan and Statesville, maybe even Carson, should be the contenders in football. Statesville's girls soccer program immediately becomes the class of the conference, and North Iredell's girls basketball team should be the favorite in 2009. Some good rivalries have emerged between Rowan and Iredell schools, and those should continue for years. West Iredell, with just a smidge over 1,000 students, is the smallest 3A school in the state and narrowly missed the cut-off of being a 2A school.
4A
Hopewell 2,757
Mallard Creek 2,000
Mooresville 1,616
Lake Norman 1,918
North Mecklenburg 2,461
Vance 2,074
West Charlotte 2,209
Thoughts: This conference is all about the attendance figures. Mooresville actually made an official request to switch conferences, citing location and overall size. The school makes a few good points. Hopewell has 70 percent more students than Mooresville, meaning it will have a much larger pool from which to pull its athletes. That's a huge disparity, and Hopewell and North Meck may grow at an even higher rate than Mooresville and Lake Norman. This conference is loaded from top to bottom, in all sports, and boasts a few of the largest schools in the state. Here's another fascinating story line to me. For the past two years, several NPC coaches have bemoaned having to play Lake Norman and Mooresville, which were easily the two biggest schools in the conference. Now it's quite the opposite as the two Iredell schools are the smallest schools and will face what so many of their opponents did over the past two years: competing against schools with more resources.
Here's a breakdown of the new conferences for Iredell schools (with attendance figures to the right) and a few thoughts on all three.
2A
Bandys 989
Bunker Hill 886
Draughn ----
East Burke 950
Maiden 824
Newton-Conover 771
South Iredell 991
West Caldwell 1,011
Thoughts: Rather than doing most of its traveling to Lincoln County, the Vikings will now be dispersed to the Hickory area on road trips. One of the first things that pops out to me is wrestling. South, with a great wrestling program, will get huge tests from Bandys and Newton-Conover, two state powers. Football will also be better, as will basketball, especially over at West Caldwell where Danny Anderson has the Warriors humming. Draughn has no attendance figures because it will not open until next season. Overall, this is a very tough, mostly balanced conference.
3A
Carson 1,078
East Rowan 1,246
North Iredell 1,248
South Rowan 1,103
Statesville 1,149
West Iredell 1,052
West Rowan 1,217
Thoughts: The former North Piedmont 3A will condense from 10 to seven schools, with Lake Norman, Mooresville and Northwest Cabarrus - the three largest schools - leaving. This should give the three Iredell teams more breathing room in scheduling non-conference games for all sports. West Rowan and Statesville, maybe even Carson, should be the contenders in football. Statesville's girls soccer program immediately becomes the class of the conference, and North Iredell's girls basketball team should be the favorite in 2009. Some good rivalries have emerged between Rowan and Iredell schools, and those should continue for years. West Iredell, with just a smidge over 1,000 students, is the smallest 3A school in the state and narrowly missed the cut-off of being a 2A school.
4A
Hopewell 2,757
Mallard Creek 2,000
Mooresville 1,616
Lake Norman 1,918
North Mecklenburg 2,461
Vance 2,074
West Charlotte 2,209
Thoughts: This conference is all about the attendance figures. Mooresville actually made an official request to switch conferences, citing location and overall size. The school makes a few good points. Hopewell has 70 percent more students than Mooresville, meaning it will have a much larger pool from which to pull its athletes. That's a huge disparity, and Hopewell and North Meck may grow at an even higher rate than Mooresville and Lake Norman. This conference is loaded from top to bottom, in all sports, and boasts a few of the largest schools in the state. Here's another fascinating story line to me. For the past two years, several NPC coaches have bemoaned having to play Lake Norman and Mooresville, which were easily the two biggest schools in the conference. Now it's quite the opposite as the two Iredell schools are the smallest schools and will face what so many of their opponents did over the past two years: competing against schools with more resources.
Friday, May 2, 2008
N.C. 3A tennis poll
Voters in the N.C. Coaches Association 3A tennis poll must have slept through the tennis season. That's about the only reason I can think of as to why someone is still voting Statesville No. 10 in the poll, but not Mooresville.
The Greyhounds won the 3A state championship last season and started the year ranked No. 2 in the state. I don't have a problem with that - they returned two of the best players in the area and deserved some respect as defending champs.
But it really makes no sense that Statesville is even getting a vote - or that it took so long for someone to actually vote for the Blue Devils.
Mooresville finished 8-1 in the North Piedmont 3A, its only loss coming to state champion contender Lake Norman. The Blue Devils also looked good in tough out-of-conference games. Statesville finished 7-2 in the NPC, which included an 8-1 loss to the Blue Devils. 8-1! Statesville played that match without one of its best players, Luke Gillis, but it wouldn't have mattered. Even if you plug in two victories if Gillis was there - which isn't guaranteed - it's still a 6-3 Mooresville win.
That match came April 14, and Statesville got multiple votes in the next two polls. This is the first week Mooresville got any votes at all.
Someone needs to wake up.
The Greyhounds won the 3A state championship last season and started the year ranked No. 2 in the state. I don't have a problem with that - they returned two of the best players in the area and deserved some respect as defending champs.
But it really makes no sense that Statesville is even getting a vote - or that it took so long for someone to actually vote for the Blue Devils.
Mooresville finished 8-1 in the North Piedmont 3A, its only loss coming to state champion contender Lake Norman. The Blue Devils also looked good in tough out-of-conference games. Statesville finished 7-2 in the NPC, which included an 8-1 loss to the Blue Devils. 8-1! Statesville played that match without one of its best players, Luke Gillis, but it wouldn't have mattered. Even if you plug in two victories if Gillis was there - which isn't guaranteed - it's still a 6-3 Mooresville win.
That match came April 14, and Statesville got multiple votes in the next two polls. This is the first week Mooresville got any votes at all.
Someone needs to wake up.
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